Natural Selection
A breezy home in Costa Rica blends in with—and makes use of—its surroundings.
Print
Email
Bookmark
Sharephotos by: Sergio Pucci
April 1, 2008
Chirping parrots Roost among the sprawling guanacaste trees, and monkeys and sloths lounge lazily in the rainforest canopy. Ronald Zürcher, meanwhile, stands under a 75-foot thatch-roofed pavilion discussing the highlights of his 8,500-square-foot home that overlooks the Pacific Ocean in Punta Islita, Costa Rica."Everything happens in this room with no walls; we relax and
listen to music while the children play," says Zürcher, one of Costa Rica’s most
prominent architects. "You are outside and you can hear and see the ocean, yet
you are completely protected from the sun."
More than any other feature in the home, the pavilion
epitomizes Zürcher’s style, which eschews the colonial model in favor of an
indigenous approach inspired by the region’s pre-Columbian roots. Native
materials such as palm fronds, thatch, stone, clay, and wood become the makings
of an earthy, contemporary design that takes full advantage of the tropical
surroundings. "If you are not tied to any particular style, you can better
respond to the climate and the culture," says the architect, who is a native
Costa Rican.
Zürcher is well acquainted with the region’s architectural
legacy. His San Jose–based company, Zürcher Arquitectos, S.A., has designed some
of the nation’s premier buildings. These include the Four Seasons Resort at
Peninsula Papagayo and the Punta Islita Resort in Nandayure. The properties
feature eco-friendly designs made with native materials. For his next major
project, La Punta Papagayo, a 60-acre luxury resort scheduled to open on the
Gulf of Papagayo in late 2009, Zürcher plans to expand upon many of the
ideas he applied to this Guanacaste-region beach home.
As the pavilion illustrates, the core of Zürcher’s philosophy is to create a seamless transition from interior to exterior spaces. Sliding louvered windows allow the home to open to the outdoors. The lack of window and door frames delineate between inside and out, furthering the transition. "The home just flows," Zürcher says.
Zürcher’s preference for native materials, some of which were
found or recycled, also makes the house a model of sustainable design. "The
intention was to not import anything and to make everything from local
materials," he says. "Most of what you see used in the houses here comes from
the area. The same holds true in this house."
Zürcher Arquitectos, S.A., +506.220.3636,
www.zurcherarquitectos.com
